The white fluffy month
The farmer next door has for some reason herded his sheep from the big field behind us to the small field in front of us (they do this by driving Land Rovers at them and honking). This means lots of sheepy noises this evening.
For the record, sheep do not go baa. They go AHHHHHHHHHH! Which is pretty funny, to be honest.
May is my favorite, and not just because I indulge myself the whole month. All the various thorn trees explode into poofy white flowers (mayflowers, as it were) and the fields are full of poofy white sheep. It’s purdy.
In conclusion, AHHHHHHHHHH! Have a good weekend. The fête season starts tomorrow!
May 19, 2023 — 7:24 pm
Comments: 6
Bucket o’ chicken
My Mo, he glows like burnished copper in the sun.
There are few sights as heartwarming as chickens blissed out in a dirtbath. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work in pictures – they look deceased. Especially if their eyes are closed.
You’ll have to excuse me being so light on content this week. I’m sunlight starved. The moment there’s a patch of it, I go fling myself into it.
Which isn’t working out so great – there was a cold old North wind today.
April 20, 2023 — 6:37 pm
Comments: 4
Rooklets
This is a very rooky area. Rooks are intensely social birds and it’s not uncommon to see a big tree with eight or ten rooks nests, next to another, next to another.
We had a very lively rookery here when we first moved in. They were noisy (next door hated them) but we loved our rooks. And then they went away.
No idea why. Maybe because the tree is partly dead? Do they have an instinct not to nest in dead trees? No idea. (Behold a scholarly discussion of rook nests in stag-headed trees).
One by one the nests vanished. Stolen to make other nests in the neighborhood, I guess, or just blown away. Only this one remained.
Sorry for terrible picture. It’s a phone snap from a long way away.
I sat in the garden in the sunshine today – first of the season – and was astonished to see a rook in this nest. See that forked thing sticking up? That’s her tail. I had no idea until the male landed nearby to feed her and she shifted. She’d been sitting immobile for so long, I thought that was an old piece of wood or something.
I can’t tell you how odd it is to have a lone rook nest in a tree.
Rooks lay end of March, beginning of April. Incubation period is 18 days. Today is April 19. Ladies and germs, I reckon we have rooklets.
April 19, 2023 — 5:42 pm
Comments: 6
Sexy, sexy swans
This afternoon.There were three, actually, and they were flapping and chasing each other. I don’t know if that’s normal swan interaction or mate selection or what. Wikipedia says:
Swans famously mate for life, and typically bond even before they reach sexual maturity. Trumpeter swans, for example, who can live as long as 24 years and only start breeding at the age of 4–7, form monogamous pair bonds as early as 20 months. “Divorce”, though rare, does occur; one study of mute swans showing a 3% rate for pairs that breed successfully and 9% for pairs that do not.
So, swan divorce? Who knows.
It’s not unheard of to see a gathering of swans in a field. I once saw so many, I lost count at around thirty. Hit the link for a discussion of swan-upping. A sheep farmer told me the swans gather when it’s going to be unusually cold inland (coming to the coast for warmth), but wrong time of year.
Me, I hope we have more babies!
April 13, 2023 — 4:14 pm
Comments: 2
She’s done it again…I hope
Spoon wasn’t there at rollcall tonight. She’s done this before. Next morning, I find her pecking around the garden like nothing. Let us hope.
But it’s going to be a wild night. Wind and rain, a specialty of the house. I’ve been round and round the house, looking high and low – I’m good at spotting her silhouette – but I’ve got nothing to show but wet.
I hope she has a nice dry safe perch somewhere.
My favorite hen. I mean, look at that face and tell me it doesn’t cheer you right up. Yes, she has a face.
April 11, 2023 — 6:56 pm
Comments: 7
They’re not even my cats
Microchipping cats to become compulsory in the UK this year.
I know. I’m reduced to this. That’s just how boring and awful my day was today.
On a brighter note, some poor headline writer got to use “meow or never” – so that probably increased the quota of joy in the universe.
p.s. Yes. All my cats are chipped, always.
March 23, 2023 — 7:47 pm
Comments: 7
Moo!
Weather was atrocious again today – wet and windy. We were going a little stir crazy, so we headed out to a new farm shop. Yes, that’s what we do for kicks. We have to go further and further afield to find new ones, though.
You might think they’re all alike, but wrong again, my imaginary internet friend. There are some things all farm shops seem to have in common – there’s a particular brand of frozen entrée name of Cook that’s in every one of them and some local grocery stores. I think Cook supplies the freezers for free, which explains that.
But they all have their specialities. Some have their own local fruit farm or market gardens. The one nearest us specializes in being terrible, which is a shame. It’s a fake farm shop for tourists.
The one we went to today specializes in meat. They rear their own pigs and sheep and especially cows. We like meat.
On a Summer’s day, you can watch the herd contentedly grazing behind the shop. You probably could’ve watched them discontentedly munching hay in a barn today if you had a mind to get wet.
They clearly have a mixed meat/dairy herd because FRESH MILK DISPENSER, Y’ALL! You buy the bottle (or bring it back washed), press the button and DAIRY MIRACLE. I’m very fond of milk.
I’d like to think on the other side of that wall is a cow hooked up to a milking machine.
March 22, 2023 — 7:15 pm
Comments: 8
Weary and elderly
You and me both, mate.
This sad seal washed up on the beach in Arun. He looked so awful, people kept calling animal control, who sent a vet out.
Because of course they did.
Turns out he’s just old and tired. And moulting.
I did not know seals spend one month a year shedding their hair and the whole layer of skin underneath it. During the month, they stop eating, sleep a lot, roll around on the sand and look like absolute shit.
That’s it, y’all. I’m moulting.
March 21, 2023 — 7:57 pm
Comments: 9
First!
Over the weekend. March 11 – about right.
I know, I know – it’s a lousy picture. You have to cut me some slack: I started my day carrying two filing cabinets up a flight of stairs and it just got more delightful from there.
Okay, a man took the weight and I mostly steered, but I got to bring all eight drawers up by myself.
People have no idea what a handicap it is being lazy.
March 13, 2023 — 7:06 pm
Comments: 6
It’s snowing in Yorkshire
Robert Fuller is a wildlife artist. Periodically, some thoughtful person sends me a link to his YouTube channel because he raised and rewilded two adorable baby stoats in 2021.
I’m linking because he also is running a couple of live streams, one from Fotherdale:
Welcome to ‘Live from Fotherdale’, a selection of bird cams streamed from inside barn owl and kestrel nests, a buzzard feeding post and a stoat habitat. This livestream also picks up passing foxes, hares, weasels and even badgers – offering the very best of British wildlife for you to enjoy.
And one from Ash Wood:
Welcome to ‘Live from Ash Wood’ where bird cams are streamed from a woodland habitat teeming with British wildlife. See inside tawny owl and kestrel nests, spot deer and badgers drinking at the pond and look out for the occasional sparrowhawk or buzzard flying through. There is a friendly live chat, offering a supportive and informative community of wildlife lovers for you to interact with as you watch the bird cams.
I was watching a little while ago and it was snowing like unto a bastard. This storm has missed us this year – well, it arrived as drizzle – meaning we won’t see any of the white stuff. I miss it. England is purty in the snow.
His streams don’t run 24/7, so I don’t know if those URLs will always work. If not, go to the Home tab on his channel and his livestreams, if any, will be there.
March 9, 2023 — 3:46 pm
Comments: 4